forever and a day
by MissingMommy
Summary: He could leave. He could just...flip the cover of his vortex manipulator and leave, because he doesn't have to do this. But leaving would mean wasting his one sorry trip, and he can't do that. He ran away from this before; he won't do that again. :: Jack/Ianto, COE fix-it, for Samantha


For Samantha, who completed GGE '14 in a very timely fashion. I really hope you enjoy.

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It's the first time in over three hundred years that he's been here, and it looks exactly like he remembers: the chaos and the confusion in the aftermath of the 456's attack.

Jack takes a deep breathe in. Everything that's he's been trying to forget hits him all at once. He could leave. He could just...flip the cover of his vortex manipulator and _leave_, because he _doesn't have to do this. _But leaving would mean wasting his one _sorry_ trip, and he can't do that. He ran away from this before; he won't do that again.

Instead, when he flips the cover of his vortex manipulator, it's to ensure that he's exactly where he needs to be. He walks the short distance to his destination. It doesn't take him long to get there.

When he gets to the right house, in the row of houses, he hesitates before ringing the doorbell. The door swings open almost immediately, and a brown haired woman appears in the doorway. "Can I help you?" She tilts her head to the side, narrowing her eyes, as if she's trying to understand something.

Jack opens his mouth to speak, but he can't find the words.

He watches the realization dawn on her. "You're Jack," she says. She turns slightly. "Ianto," she calls out, "someone's here for you."

"What?" Jack asks. His heart skips a beat. There's no way she could mean that, is there?

She gives him a disbelieving look. "I don't suppose you're here to see me. But by the way that Ianto was talking, he wasn't expecting to see you." She rolls her eyes. "Ianto!"

All thoughts of telling her that she _was_ the person he was there to see went to the wind when another person joins Rhiannon in the doorway. Memories don't do Ianto any justice, Jack thinks, because they are nothing compared to how he looks now. "Why would someone be here to see me?" Ianto mutters to his sister.

"_Ianto_," Jack breathes.

Ianto turns to face Jack, and they barely notice as Rhiannon disappears back in the house. Ianto takes a step forward, arm outstretched. "Your eyes," he says, awe-struck. "They're older."

Jack just nods solemnly. Because there's no denying what Ianto has always been able to see - how old he really is. "And I watched you die. How are you here?"

Ianto lets his hand drop. "I don't know," he replies honestly. "The last thing I remember was the 456 and then waking up among the dead. That was three days ago."

Jack's heart breaks. Because he remembers the first time he came back to life - alone and cold. Knowing Ianto went through the same thing hurts him. And then something dawns on Jack. "You didn't come back." His tone is accusatory. "We thought- Gwen thinks you are dead."

Ianto frowns. "We had our time and our ending. I didn't want to have to go through it again if it turned out that this wasn't real." He lifts his hand to cup Jack's cheek. And Jack's forgotten how _warm_ Ianto is. "So I thought it was best to break ties."

Jack tilts his head towards Ianto's hand, closing his eyes, seeking the warmth that he hasn't felt in too long. He doesn't know what to say, because he honestly can't be mad at Ianto. He isn't sure that the version of himself running around with Gwen right now could've handle this news, especially if it isn't real.

"How long has it been?" Ianto asks.

"Too long," he replies. He opens his eyes as a thought occurs to him. "Do you want to find out how real this is?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I know some experts," Jack replies offhandedly. "The only thing is that I can't bring you back here." He motions to his vortex manipulator. "This was my only trip."

A grin lights up Ianto's face. "I don't see why not. Besides, I'm classified as dead here so finding work would be difficult."

Jack grins as he takes Ianto's hand in his own and flips the cover of his vortex manipulator. Maybe this time they'll get it right this time. Maybe they'll figure out how Ianto is still alive. But for now, Jack is content with the feeling of Ianto's hand in his own.

They can figure the rest out as they go.

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A/n - So many thanks to Jess who helped and beta'd. All remaining mistakes are mine.


End file.
